The gap is closing between early adopters of health information technology and other organizations, particularly smaller medical practices, in benefits achieved from HIT. A recent review by ONC of articles published on HIT benefits shows increased evidence of improved quality and efficiency of care and better access to care for leader and non-leader organizations alike.

Driven by incentives for HIT adoption, the number of healthcare organizations, including smaller practices, using HIT is increasing. However, concerns exist about the financial investment and clinician support necessary to achieve meaningful use of the technology, according to a new study by Beacon Partners. In this week's issue, read more about these challenges as well as concerns among healthcare industry professionals about the perception of health reform legislation changes.

Your colleague in the business of healthcare,
Patricia Donovan
Editor, Healthcare Business Weekly Update

Ninety-two percent of articles on health information technology (HIT) reached conclusions that showed overall positive effects of HIT on key aspects of care including quality and efficiency of healthcare, according to an Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) study.

An all-new update to the best-selling 2010 edition, this 50-page resource is packed with actionable new information from 111 healthcare organizations on their utilization of telehealth & telemedicine. This resource documents trends and metrics on current and planned telehealth and telemedicine initiatives and includes a year-over-year comparison of telehealth trends from 2009 to 2010.

While hospitals are at the helm of Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) in operation today, the future of ACO management will be in the hands of physicians, according to an ACO e-survey conducted by the Healthcare Intelligence Network.

By resting your financial lever on one of four new healthcare cost-saving fulcrums, you can reduce the burden of employee healthcare costs more easily and effectively than by brute force. In fact, the solution is less about muscle than it is about manipulating simple techniques to maximize employee health. Learn more about these cost-saving strategies in this white paper.

Facebook can have a positive influence on the self-esteem of college students, which could be because Facebook allows students to put their best face forward, said Jeffrey Hancock, associate professor of communication at Cornell University.

Many healthcare organizations are taking a hard look at readmission trends in their populations and launching programs to reduce hospital readmission rates. We wanted to see which populations organizations are targeting to reduce hospital readmissions.

This resource describes the enrollment and engagement of patients in telemedicine programs in a variety of care settings. Experts describe the prerequisites for using technologies to engage patients in chronic disease improvement programs, setting the scene for care management and behavior change, and sharing how technology has enhanced patient engagement and self-management in specific populations.

Because of the collision of the economy, the healthcare crisis and a large population of aging Americans, many families are in or near a financial crisis that makes it more difficult to provide care to a family member, according to a Volunteers of America study.

This 35-page resource delivers cutting-edge advice on key programs funded for pilots, demos and incentives in healthcare reform  the patient-centered medical home, health coaching, care transitions, hospital readmissions, medication management and innovative payment models like the accountable care organization (ACO). It provides a quick-reference on key programs and innovations that can help to put money back on the table for stakeholders by improving the quality of healthcare and curtailing avoidable utilization and cost.

This resource delivers comprehensive analyses of emerging payment models for patient-centered care from early adopters striving to put a fair price on care coordination tasks and adequately reward providers for medical home adoption. More than 70 illustrations; Q&A chapter answers 75 questions on medical home reimbursement.

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